South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has conferred upon former Proteas all-rounder Jacques Kallis the prestigious Ikhamanga Award in the silver division on Thursday.
The honour was bestowed on Kallis, ‘for his excellence in cricket and the role he has played in putting South Africa on the world sports map’, during the National Orders ceremony at the Sefako Makgatho presidential guest house in Pretoria on Thursday.
Kallis played 166 Tests between 1995 and 2013 – and struck 13,289 runs at an average of 55.37. He is third only to India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Australia’s Ricky Ponting among Test cricket’s leading run-scorers.
The talented right-arm seamer also took 292 Test wickets. He is also South Africa’s top run-scorer in ODI competition, with 11,579 in 314 innings.
‘It is highly fitting that Jacques should be honoured in this way with this prestigious award,’ said Cricket South Africa chief executive officer Thabang Moroe.
‘Jacques’ long list of achievements hardly need repeating but suffice it to say he stands alongside the great Sir Garfield Sobers as the greatest batting all-rounder of all time and is certainly our greatest player of the modern era.
‘He earned his place in every Proteas team he represented both as a top-order batsman and as an outstanding swing bowler of lively pace. In addition, his slip catching was legendary and contributed significantly to the successes our fast bowlers enjoyed throughout his career.
‘Most of important of all is the outstanding example he has set for the highest standards of sportsmanship and the traditions of the game to inspire not just aspiring young cricketers but the youth of the entire country.
‘He is, indeed, one of the crown jewels of the CSA family and indeed I can speak on behalf of the entire nation in congratulating him and saying how proud we all are of him.’
The 43-year-old is the head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders, who currently occupy sixth position in the 2019 Indian Premier League’s eight-team standings, after four wins in 10 matches.
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